Synthesis of Eco-Friendly Detergent Based on Crude Palm Oil and Titania Nanoparticles

In this work, we report the synthesis of eco-friendly detergent from crude palm oil and titania. Crude palm oil was converted into methyl ester sulfonate through esterification, transesterification and followed by sulfonation process. As-produced methyl ester sulfonate was characterized with Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS), liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy (LCMS) and surface tension analysis. Detergents were synthesized by dispersing titania nanoparticles into methyl ester sulfonate solution, forming a nanofluid. Stability and detergency of the nanofluidic detergents were then evaluated. The results showed that the nanofluid detergents were stable in the presence of 0.1 wt % titania and the photocatalytic activity of titania nanoparticles improved the ability of nanofluidic detergents to remove dirt as well as degrading the surfactant residues in the laundry waste stream.